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Sam blinked, cocking her head. “What? Why?”

Liz shook her head with an exasperated sigh. “Same stuff that made us break up the last time.” She paused, rolling her eyes. “And the time before that.”

Sam nodded slowly. She knew things between them hadn’t been perfect, but they also didn’t seem bad. Or at least, not from the outside.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

“It’s fine,” Liz said dismissively, wiping a hand across her nose. “Its happened before and we got back together. We just need another break to realize how much we want to be together.”

Sam nodded, but kept quiet. Hearing things like that from the person Jess was dating—orhadbeen dating—felt wrong. Even ifshe and Liz were friends in the past, Jess was more than that to her. Jess would always have her loyalty. No matter how much time had passed.

Liz’s phone buzzed on her desk. She reached for it, holding it up to her ear. “Hey,” she said, leaning back in her chair.

Sam pulled her laptop out of her bag, flipping it open in her lap.

“Yeah,” Liz mumbled into the phone. “Jess and I broke up.Again.”

Sam glanced up in time to see her roll her eyes.

“Let’s go out. I want fun and drinks.Lotsof drinks.”

Sam pulled up the string of notes on her computer as she tried and failed to tune out the conversation.

“That’s perfect,” Liz said, smiling into the phone. “Okay, I’ll meet you there.”

Liz released a heavy breath as she hung up and set the phone back on the desk. “So, this is the last of it, right?”

Sam cleared her throat. “Yeah. Shouldn’t take too long.”

“Good,” Liz muttered. “No offense, but I’ll be happy when this is all over.”

Sam gave her a tight smile. “Me too.”

Chapter twelve

Sam rubbed her burning eyes, blinking against the fluorescent lights as she picked up her phone. The day had bled into a haze, just like the one before had after she’d left Liz’s office. It was all blurring together.

“Hello?” she mumbled into her phone, barely aware of the people she passed in the office lobby. Leaving for the day should’ve felt like freedom, but this time it felt more like surrender.

“What’re you doing right now?” Scarlett’s joyful voice rang through the speaker in her ear.

Sam groaned, stretching her throbbing neck and shoulders. “Leaving the office. Why?”

She stepped through the glass-paned doors and into the chilled night air where people ambled past on the sidewalk.

“Come bowling with us.”

Sam stepped back beneath the overhang of the building as a chill ran through her body. She’d felt out of it all day, even after getting an extra hour of sleep that morning.

“I don’t think I’m up for bowling,” she mumbled, wishing she’d ridden her bike to the office instead of walking the few blocks. At least then she wouldn’t be standing there, freezing, waiting for her feet to move.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be lame,” Scarlett said, a playful edge to her words. “Terrence will be there, and it’s been forever since you guys hung out. He’s excited to see you.”

Sam frowned. She’d already cancelled on her once that week when they were supposed to get dinner. So even if she didn’t feel up to it, she owed it to her to go.

“Okay,” Sam breathed. “Sure. Send me the address.”

***